Oakland Athletics Yoenis Cespedes hit a deep fly ball to center in the second inning against the Seattle Mariners Friday, April 6, 2012 in Oakland Calif.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

Oakland Athletics Yoenis Cespedes hit a deep fly ball to center in...

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Oakland Athletics' Yoenis Cespedes hits a three-run home run off Seattle Mariners relief pitcher Steve Delabar during the seventh inning of their baseball game in Oakland, Calif., Saturday, April 7, 2012. Seattle won the game 8-7. (AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 07: Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland Athletics rounds the bases after hitting a three run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at O.co Coliseum on April 7, 2012 in Oakland, California. The Seattle Mariners defeated the Oakland Athletics 8-7. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)

Photo: Jason O. Watson, Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 07: Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland...

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OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 07: Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland Athletics is congratulated by teammates after hitting a three run home run against the Seattle Mariners during the seventh inning at O.co Coliseum on April 7, 2012 in Oakland, California. The Seattle Mariners defeated the Oakland Athletics 8-7. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images)

Photo: Jason O. Watson, Getty Images

OAKLAND, CA - APRIL 07: Yoenis Cespedes #52 of the Oakland...

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Oakland Athletics Yoenis Cespedes warms up prior to their game with the Seattle Mariners Saturday, April 7, 2012 at the Oakland Coliseum Calif.

Photo: Lance Iversen, The Chronicle

Oakland Athletics Yoenis Cespedes warms up prior to their game with...

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Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen gestures at a news conference at Marlins Stadium in Miami, Tuesday April 10, 2012. Guillen has been suspended for five games because of his comments about Fidel Castro. He has again apologized and says he accepts the punishment.

Photo: Lynne Sladky, Associated Press

Miami Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen gestures at a news conference...

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Oakland's Yoenis Cespedes, (right) watches from the dugout, as the Oakland Athletics take on the Kansas City Royals in major league baseball action at the O.Co Coliseum on Tuesday April 10, 2012, in Oakland, Ca.

One reported reason Yoenis Céspedes chose the A's over the Marlins was the possible circus atmosphere in Miami - he wanted to focus on playing baseball more than being the Marlins' symbol for anti-communist and anti-Castro sentiment.

Céspedes' extraordinary power and five-tool capabilities are the main stories in these parts, especially because he refuses to discuss politics, the circumstances in which he defected from Cuba or Ozzie Guillen's motor mouth.

Earlier Tuesday, the Marlins suspended Guillen for his Castro statements to Time magazine.

"Miami's very political, and he feels more at ease, more relaxed here," said Amaury Pi-Gonzalez, the longtime announcer who's working on the A's Spanish broadcasts this year. "When I met (Céspedes), I said, 'I will not ask you anything political.' He said, 'Even if you did, I won't talk about it.'

"From that indication, he doesn't want to get involved. He just wants to play ball. He could be idolized in Miami, but the pressure would be humongous."

Pi-Gonzalez was 17 when he left Cuba in 1961, two years after Castro took power, and settled in Miami long before it became a professional sports hotbed. He said Guillen's five-game suspension is enough, adding, "Ozzie speaks before he thinks," but it's not enough for Cuban American groups that want Guillen dismissed.

A native of Venezuela, Gui- llen was quoted saying he loves Castro and respects the retired Cuban dictator for maintaining power so long. At a Tuesday news conference, Guillen said he was misinterpreted in the article but took responsibility for his comments.

A new era of Marlins baseball is under way, featuring a new ballpark, new uniforms and, yes, a new manager. The team historically hasn't drawn well and expected the Cuban American community to be a huge part of the fan base, so there wasn't a worse time or place for Guillen to pop off.

Asked to envision Céspedes playing for Guillen, Pi-Gonzalez said, "That would've been interesting. The Marlins never had a big Cuban superstar (hitter). He could be a hero on that team, but if he lays an egg, the pressure could be bigger than in Oakland."

Last weekend, I asked Céspedes if he had any regrets about not signing with the Marlins, and he suggested joining the A's was a business decision. He wanted a four-year deal, and the Marlins were offering six. His A's contract allows him to return to free agency before the 2016 season, when he'll be 30.

Guillen was supposed to be the glue, the man who'd mold the team into a winner and serve as liaison between the team and Latin Americans throughout South Florida. If he stuck to baseball, he'd be fine, but Guillen never sticks to baseball. The Jeffrey Loria ownership, with a track record that's anything but glowing, needs to take blame.

Guillen has a history of saying outrageous things, and if Loria didn't want that in a manager, he shouldn't have hired Guillen. The suspension was levied by the club and supported by Commissioner Bud Selig, who spoke in a prepared statement of baseball as a "social institution with important social responsibilities."

Selig called Guillen's remarks "offensive to an important part of the Miami community and others throughout the world" and said they "have no place in our game." No explanation in the statement as to why Selig, along with Baltimore owner Peter Angelos, sat with Castro during an Orioles exhibition game in Cuba in 1999.

That's part of the game Céspedes keeps to himself. A long way from Miami, he chooses to focus on baseball and stay away from politics. Unlike Guillen.